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Nearly $300 million in new money is on the table for international science and technology (S&T) but disagreement over how some of the funds will be managed could still derail the tangle of inter-related proposals now going forward for government consideration.

Six examples of successful technology transfer from the federal government were recognized at this year’s Federal Partners in Technology Transfer (FPTT) conference, held June 18-20 near Aylmer PQ.

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), the National Research Council’s Industrial Research Assistance Program and Nova Agri Associates Ltd were chosen for a process extending the life of freshly harvested highbush blueberries from Nova Scotia.

The depth of R&D in the Ottawa region is finally capturing the attention and imagination of the global high technology community, with an unprecedented number of new initiatives and financings in recent weeks that makes the high-profile shenanigans on Parliament Hill seem like a quiet Sunday picnic.

The National Capital Institute of Telecommunications (NCIT) is the latest powerful example of the growing realization that collaborative research and development is an essential bedrock component to the ultimate growth and prosperity of any jurisdiction.

Ottawa’s decision to establish an explicit framework for incorporating science and technology decision-making into government policy and regulation marks a significant first step towards confronting the need for top-notch, impartial science advice, as well as acknowledging sins of the past.

The government of Quebec has launched an examination of the province’s third largest venture capital organization to determine its suitability for privatization, possibly to an interest outside the province or even the country.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) reached another milestone this week with its official launch and the introduction of its inaugural governing council (GC). The event marking the most dramatic shift in health research funding in recent history took place in a crowded cafeteria of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, with ministers Alan Rock (Health Canada) and John Manley (Industry Canada) in attendance.

Researchers in the federal government are making a huge contribution to the advancement of Canadian science, but years of shrinking budgets are severely compromising its output, according to a recent study of bibliometric data.